When The News Tells Tales About Soda Taxes, What Do You Believe?

Posted by Americans for food and beverage choice on September 19, 2016

Americans For Food and Beverage Choice

The news cycle is fast and furious - but unfortunately, not every series of articles surging forward is accurate. Sometimes what we read is even downright misleading. Here’s a prime example: recent reports falsely claim that soda taxes are curbing consumption and enhancing health. Closer examination shows these stories are not backed by credible research. And, it is illogical to presume that one arbitrary tax will amount to change that registers on a bathroom scale.

It is well established that taxing a single grocery item does not cause us to change our diets in a comprehensive way. In fact, researchshows, any reduced consumption of one product can actually trigger increased intake of another set of calories. Sounds counterproductive, doesn’t it?

What the data does make clear is that obesity and obesity-related health issues have continued to rise for years while soda consumption dropped steadily at the same time. In other words, beverages are not a unique variable driving America’s public health challenges. These issues relate to many factors, ranging from overall diet and genetics to inactivity and stress. So taxing soda is a fundamentally flawed idea to begin with.

What we hold true is that holistic education will always prove more productive than cherry-picking products to tax. It’s not up to the government to decree what you eat, drink and feed your family. We can all make informed choices from the well-labeled products on the market today, which come in a plethora of calorie counts and sizes and can be incorporated into a balanced diet.

So the next time someone tells you soda taxes are working, take a good, hard look at their claim. Taxes certainly make governments richer, but to date, research has yet to verify that grocery taxes carry any real or lasting benefits.